Lucky nine card game

ABSTRACT

This is a card game with an object of reaching a count of nine. In this card game, the player completes playing his/her hand before knowing the count value of the dealer&#39;s hand. The player makes all the decision on the play of his/her hand while the dealer has limited or no option in the play of his hand. The game allows for splitting an initial pair of cards having equal numerical values into separate hands and playing each hand independently. Special payouts, if desired, are provided for a player hand having a final count value of nine: a hand comprising of three cards with each card having a point value of three; a hand comprising of three cards of the same suit with one card having a point value of two, a second card having a point value of three and a third card having a point value of four; and, a winning player hand comprising a combination of two cards having a total count value of nine.

BACKGROUND

[0001] This invention relates to a card game with an object of reaching a count of nine. In this game, the player makes all the decision on the play of his/her hand while the dealer has limited or no option in the play of his hand. Hand herein means the playing cards and their respective score or count value in one's possession.

[0002] Various card games, some adopted as wagering card games, have been developed in the past wherein the object is to reach a winning count such as 21 for the game of blackjack, with all the cards scoring above 21 losing the game. A wagering card game means that the players play for money. In a wagering card game, there is usually a dealer who plays for the house, i.e., usually a casino, and players, usually of a desired number, whose object is to beat the dealer's hand and win for money.

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,228 discloses a card game wherein the number cards from ace to nine are valued at face value with the tens and court cards (jack queen and king) having a value of zero. The one who scores nearest to nine or nine wins. In this card game, a dealer having a flush, his two or three cards having the same suit, for example, all hearts or all spades, or having a three of a kind wins a player whose cards are less than nine. The player with the same situation, flush or three of a kind, on the other hand, still loses if the player's hand is lower than that of the dealer's or when the dealer's hand is nine. The player wins the game if his count or hand is closer to nine or nine and the dealer scores less than the player. The player takes additional payoff if the cards/hand are a flush and totals nine. A player with a flush hand but scoring less than nine only gets an even pay off, that is getting the same amount as his/her bet. A player having the same count as the dealer neither wins or loses. This card game limits a player's chances of winning.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,309 discloses a card game similar to U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,228 with a hand close to nine or nine winning the game but differs in that it does not have the rules relating to a flush or a three of a kind. It, however, has rules for tied hands and non-zero. In this card game, a dealer's hand is played first to its final count before the players play their hands or cards. Consequently, a player already knows the dealer's hand even before playing his/her hand which somewhat removes the excitement from the game as well as limits the player's decision making.

[0005] It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a player with a card game where his decision making and risk taking is maximized by letting him play his hand without knowing the dealer's hand.

[0006] It is also an object of this invention to provide a card game where the players has more options than the dealer without taking away a level of advantage for the dealer to make the game adoptable to a casino setting.

[0007] It is also an object of this invention to provide a player to automatically win on a 3-3-3 hand of any suit or on a 2-3-4 hand of the same suit which is unavailable to the dealer.

[0008] It is also an object of this invention to provide a card game where a dealer wins an all zero tie.

[0009] It is also a further object of this invention to provide a player having two cards of equal numerical point value, a chance to play more than one hand in a game or to give additional chances of winning by splitting the hand and betting on the resulting split hands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0010]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a table layout that can be used in playing the card game in a casino setting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] This invention relates to a card game with an object of reaching a count of nine. In this game, the player completes his hand before the dealer reveals the point value of his hand. Also, the player makes all the decision on the play of his/her hand while the dealer has limited or no option in his play. The card game can be played at a minimum by at least one player and a dealer.

[0012] The method of playing the card game comprises:

[0013] (a) providing at least one deck of playing cards comprising four suits totaling fifty two cards, with each suit including thirteen cards ranking from ace to ten and through court cards, jack, queen and king, the deck of cards shuffled before playing;

[0014] (b) assigning a point value to each of the playing cards, with the ace through nine of each suit counted at face value of one through nine points, and the ten through king of each suit being assigned a point value of zero by dropping the tens digit;

[0015] (c) dealing an initial player's hand of two cards to the player and an initial dealer's hand of two cards to the dealer, the point value of the initial dealer's hand not revealed by dealing at least one of the two dealer's cards face down;

[0016] (d) adding the point values of the initial player's hand, dropping the tens digit of the point value if any, to provide a count value between zero and nine;

[0017] (e) hitting a third card by the player if desired and adding the point values of the resulting three card player's hand, dropping the tens digit of the sum of the three card player's hand if any, to provide a count value between zero and nine;

[0018] (f) exposing the initial dealer's hand after the player has acted completely on his hand thereby revealing the point value of the initial dealer's hand;

[0019] (g) adding the point values of the initial dealer's hand and dropping the tens digit of the point value to provide a count value between zero and nine;

[0020] (h) completing the dealer's hand by hitting a third playing card when the point value of the initial dealer's hand is zero to four and standing if the point value is five to nine;

[0021] (i) adding the point value of the dealer's hand, dropping the tens digit if any, to provide a final count value between zero and nine; and,

[0022] (j) comparing the final count value of the dealer's hand with the count value of the player's completed hand, a player's completed hand having a count value closer to nine and greater than the dealer's final count value resulting in a win for the player, a player's completed hand having a count value equal to the dealer's final count value resulting into a tie, and a player's completed hand having a count value less than the dealer's final count value resulting in a loss for the player.

[0023] The player's completed hand is preferably but not necessarily limited to a maximum of three. The dealer can not have more than three cards. A player having a hand of three cards with each card having a point value of three or a hand of three cards of the same suit with one card having a point value of two, a second card having a point value of three and a third card having a point value of four automatically wins the game. In this card game, the player may opt to split an initial pair of cards having equal numerical values into separate hands and play each hand independently. The number of separate hands a player can play after splitting may be limited. When the game is played as a wagering card game, a bet on the outcome of the play is placed by the player before the initial player and dealer's card are dealt. The determination when a player wins or loses are dictated by the rules of the game herein while the amount of payouts given are dictated by the house based on the level of advantage or odds desired. In a casino setting, a cut card is usually used to signal when to terminate the dealing of the cards during the play. To prevent switching of the cards, the third card is preferably but not necessarily dealt at a position different from the initial or original two cards dealt to the player and to the dealer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The card game is played using one or more standard deck of playing cards, also referred to herein simply as cards, with each deck comprising fifty two cards of four suits. Each suit contains thirteen cards, from ace (one card) through king. The ace through nine of each suit are counted at face value of one through nine for purposes of determining the score, count or point value (all used interchangeably herein to mean the same) of each hand, while the ten, jack, queen and king of each suit is given a point value of zero. The final count, score or point value is the last digit of the sum total of all the cards in one's hand. For example, a three card hand of a ten or jack, a two and a five would equal 17. The tens is drop and the final count value would be 7 in this case.

[0025] If the card game is played in a social setting, one standard deck of playing card would be sufficient. However, when played as a wagering game, especially if played in a casino setting, usually five decks of cards or more are used. A dealer playing for the house, usually a casino, shuffles the deck of cards manually or uses a shuffling machine to do so. Use of more decks in a wagering game prevents one to memorize the cards already dealt with. This also reduces the number of shuffling times which takes away playing time which in a casino setting is costly because the more number of deals mean more money for the house.

[0026] The game can be played at a minimum by a dealer and one player but more players are desired. The object of the game as the title denotes is to score a nine or close to nine and to score better than the dealer. In this card game, after the dealer has shuffled the cards and the players have placed their bets on the outcome of the card game, if it is a wagering game, the dealer begins the game by dealing each player and himself a card faced up. The cards can be dealt manually but in a casino setting, the cards are usually dealt from a shoe, a device used to hold the cards before they are dealt. After the first card, the players are dealt with a second card, preferably face up, thus showing their individual scores. The dealer also deals himself a second card but this card is face down, thus not revealing the point value of the dealer. The dealer may deal the cards in any direction, counterclockwise or clockwise starting from the player to the left or right of the dealer. This is at the discretion of the house. From the score or point value of the two cards, the player can either stand, meaning, not ask for another card or hit, meaning ask for a third card. The player makes this decision without knowing the dealer's score or point value. A player can be limited to a maximum of three cards in a hand. When a player asks for a third card, the dealer preferably but not necessarily, deals this card face up and places this card at a position different from the initial or original two cards, for example, perpendicular to the initial two cards to distinguish the third card. This type of dealing prevents a player from swiftly switching the third card with one of the initial two cards and claiming that he/she did not ask for a third card. A player in this card game, is not limited by any rules on his/her choice of drawing a third card except his/her own risk taking disposition.

[0027] A player having an initial pair of cards having equal numerical value such as two cards of two or two cards of 5, a card of ten and a card of jack (each having a point value of zero), a card of jack and a card of queen (each having a point value of zero), a pair of court cards, etc. can opt to split these cards into two separate hands and play each hand independently in the same manner as above, with each hand limited to a maximum of cards, for example, three cards. However, if during the play of one or both of the split hands, the player gets a second card of the same score or point value as the split hand, then the player can resplit the hand and play a third separate hand. For example, a player getting a pair of cards of five, can split this into two separate hands, each having a five card. After the split, a player plays each hand independently. The first split hand as well as the second split hand will each be dealt with a second card. If the second card for the first hand is a 6 card, the total sum of the two cards is 11 but since the tens digit is dropped, the score or point value of the first split hand is 1. At this point, the player can hit a third card or stand on the point value of the two cards for the first split hand. If the first split hand opted a third card and the value is a ten from a court card or ten card, the final count value remains as one since the tens digit is dropped. However, if the third card is say a 6 card, then the final value of the first split hand is 7. If the second card dealt for the second split hand is another five, the same as the point value of the card on which the original split was made, the player can opt to resplit this further resulting in a third separate hand and play on the second split hand and the third split hand in the same manner as above. The maximum number of splitting allowed is at the discretion of the house or according to a number agreed among the players and dealer before the game. The illustration above limits the splitting to two resulting in three separate split hands. In a wagering card game, the bet placed for each split hand is preferably but not necessarily the same amount as the original bet, the bet placed initially by the player on the unsplit hand, the hand before splitting. This option to split may or may not be made part of the card game but its inclusion provides added excitement and attraction for players to join and take their chances.

[0028] After all the players have acted completely on their hands, either by hitting or standing, the dealer exposes his faced down card to reveal the point value of his initial hand. The ability of the dealer to stand or hit a third card is governed by the following rules:

[0029] a) If the value of the initial dealer's hand is 0 to 4, the dealer must hit a third card.

[0030] b) If the value of the initial dealer's hand is 5 to 9, the dealer must stand.

[0031] If the dealer is allowed to hit a third card based on the above rules, the dealer preferably but not necessarily places the third card face up and at a position different from the initial dealer's card, for example, perpendicular to the other two initial cards, to distinguish this third card. Subsequent to the completion of the dealer's play, the final count value of the dealer's hand is compared with each completed player's hand.

[0032] A player's completed hand having a count value or score of 9 or close to nine wins the game if the dealer scores less than the player's hand. The same is true for the dealer. The dealer wins if the dealer's hand is nine or closer to nine than the player. If both the dealer and the player have the same score, a tie, neither one wins or lose except if the player and the dealer tie on a score or count value of zero which, according to the house rule established by the card game, the dealer wins to give an advantage for the house. For example, if the dealer's hand is a ten, two and eight, the final score is zero after dropping the tens digit. If the player has the same combination of cards, a ten, two and eight, or other combinations totalling zero, for example, a ten, three and seven, this results in a score of zero and ties with the dealer. The dealer collects the bet in this situation. An example of a regular or ordinary tie having a non-zero count value where neither one wins or loses, that is, the player keeps his/her bet, is when both the dealer and the player score the same point value but the final score is not zero. For example, a card of two and three (equalling 5) for the dealer can tie with a player having the same combination of cards or different combinations of cards but still totalling a five such as two cards of one and four or three cards of ten, two and three. On the player's side, in a wagering game, a special payout is automatically given to a player hand holding a combination of 3-3-3, three cards with each card having a point value of three of any suit, and a hand of 2-3-4, three cards of the same suit with one card having a point value of two, a second card having a point value of three and a third card having a point value of four. A dealer can never have these hands to tie the game with the player because the dealer stands at any score of five or over. Further, these hands get an automatic pay before the dealer is given a chance to complete his hand.

[0033] The specific amount or rate of payout in a wagering game scenario is up to the house, dictated by the odds and house advantage desired. Usually, but not necessarily, the winning hand is paid even money, that is, if the bet is $5.00, then the dealer pays the player $5.00, resulting in $10.00 for the player to either keep or bet the whole or a portion thereof for the next game. The house may also decide to pay more for a winning player hand comprising a combination of two cards having a total count value of nine and for the hand having the combination of 3-3-3 of any suit and 2-3-4 of the same suit as stated above. For example, a 6 to 5 payout (a $5.00 bet winning $6.00) for those having the winning player two card hand scoring a nine and a three to one payout (a $5.00 bet winning $15.00) for the 3-3-3 and 2-3-4 combinations described above. A dealer that wins the game collects the bet of the losing player.

[0034] In a wagering game usually played in a casino setting, a recommended table layout 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The layout as drawn is for seven players but the same table layout can be adopted for less or more than seven players. The table may be covered with felt or other suitable material, one that would not interfere in the dealing of the cards. The dealer stands behind the horizontal side of the table. On area 1 is positioned a chip rack to accommodate the wagering tokens paid and received during the play of the game. In front of the chip rack 1 is an indicated area/s 2 where the two initial or original cards of the dealer are dealt and an area 3 where the third card of the dealer is positioned in case the dealer hits a third card. As shown in FIG. 1, area 3 is positioned perpendicular to area 2 to distinguish the third card from the initial or original two cards. On one side of the table, proximate to the dealer, is a shoe 4 which houses the cards to be dealt. On another side of the table, also proximate to the dealer but opposite the shoe 4, is a card discard holder 5. The players stand or sit in front of the bet areas 6, herein shown as circles drawn proximate to the semicircular edge of the table layout. The players face the dealer. The bet areas where a player places his/her bet, can be of any geometric shape aside from the circular betting areas 6 shown or it can be indicated by any design or logo.

[0035] To prevent fraud or cheating in a wagering game as well as maximize house advantage, the following example shows how a card game can be played in a casino setting:

[0036] At least three decks of cards, preferably 5-8 decks of cards are shuffled manually by the dealer or through a shuffling machine. The house sets the limit for the bets and the players places their bets on their respective betting areas 6. After shuffling, a cut card is usually offered to a player. A cut card is used to signal when to terminate the dealing of the cards during the play. The player is instructed to have the deck of cards cut at least one deck from either end of the cards. One card is usually discarded before initially dealing the cards and no more bets or changes in the bet are usually allowed once the first card is dealt or drawn. Also, the house can set additional rules disallowing a player to change seats, hold their cards or touch their bets. The cards drawn from the shoe 4 should be faced down, otherwise, the subject card is not valid and the game is cancelled. To facilitate communication between the dealer and player, certain hand signals of the player can be set. For example, a right to left wave of the hand (part of the body and not referring to the cards) behind the bet signals the dealer that the player wishes to stand. To hit, one brushes the hand towards oneself behind the wager or bet. As shown above, to prevent card switching, the original two cards, the initial cards dealt to each player, are usually placed at a designated area and at a given card position while the third card, if asked, is dealt at its own specific area and placed in a position different from the initial or original two cards for distinction. When the cut card shows up during the course of the deal, this signals that the ongoing deal should be completed and will be the last deal. If the cut card shows up before the first card is drawn, the previous game will be the last and a reshuffling is called for. This in house rules on the cut card all the more calls for playing with more deck of cards to minimize the number of reshufflings.

[0037] While the embodiment of the present invention has been described, it should be understood that various changes, modifications and adaptations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further variations of the game presented herein are possible. The scope of the present invention should be determined by the teachings disclosed herein, the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 

I claim:
 1. A method for playing a card game by at least one player and a dealer with playing cards, comprising: (a) providing at least one deck of playing cards comprising four suits totaling fifty two cards, with each suit including thirteen cards ranking from ace to ten and through court cards, jack, queen and king, the deck of cards shuffled before playing; (b) assigning a point value to each of the playing cards, with the ace through nine of each suit counted at face value of one through nine points, and the ten through king of each suit being assigned a point value of zero by dropping the tens digit; (c) dealing an initial player's hand of two cards to the player and an initial dealer's hand of two cards to the dealer, the point value of the initial dealer's hand not revealed by dealing at least one of the two dealer's cards face down; (d) adding the point values of the initial player's hand, dropping the tens digit of the point value if any, to provide a count value between zero and nine; (e) hitting a third card by the player if desired and adding the point values of the resulting three card player's hand, dropping the tens digit of the sum of the three card player's hand if any, to provide a count value between zero and nine; (f) exposing the initial dealer's hand after the player has acted completely on his hand thereby revealing the point value of the initial dealer's hand; (g) adding the point values of the initial dealer's hand and dropping the tens digit of the point value to provide a count value between zero and nine; (h) completing the dealer's hand by hitting a third playing card when the point value of the initial dealer's hand is zero to four and standing if the point value is five to nine; (i) adding the point value of the dealer's hand, dropping the tens digit if any, to provide a final count value between zero and nine; and, (j) comparing the final count value of the dealer's hand with the count value of the player's completed hand, a player's completed hand having a count value closer to nine and greater than the dealer's final count value resulting in a win for the player, a player's completed hand having a count value equal to the dealer's final count value resulting into a tie, and a player's completed hand having a count value less than the dealer's final count value resulting in a loss for the player.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the player's completed hand is limited to three cards.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the card game is a wagering card game and a bet is placed by the player on the outcome of the card game, the bet being collected by the dealer when the player losses the game but the player paid even money for a winning hand.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the bet is collected by the dealer when the tie is on a count value of zero while the player keeps his/her bet when the tie is on a non-zero count value.
 5. The method of claim 3 including the step of giving a special payout for a player hand having a final count value of nine selected from the group consisting of a hand comprising of three cards with each card having a point value of three, a hand comprising of three cards of the same suit with one card having a point value of two, a second card having a point value of three and a third card having a point value of four, and a winning player hand comprising a combination of two cards having a total count value of nine.
 6. The method of claim 1 including the step of splitting an initial pair of cards having equal numerical values into separate hands and playing each hand independently.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the number of separate hands after splitting is limited to three.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein a bet on a split hand is placed by the player on the outcome of the card game in a wagering card game.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the bet is limited to the same amount as the player's bet placed initially on the unsplit hand.
 10. The method of claim 3 wherein a cut card is used after shuffling to signal when to terminate the dealing of the cards during the play.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the third card is dealt and placed at a position different from the initial player or dealer cards.
 12. A method for playing a card game by at least one player and a dealer with playing cards, comprising: (a) providing at least one deck of playing cards comprising four suits totaling fifty two cards, with each suit including thirteen cards ranking from ace to ten and through court cards, jack, queen and king, the deck of cards shuffled before playing; (b) assigning a point value to each of the playing cards, with the ace through nine of each suit counted at face value of one through nine points, and the ten through king of each suit being assigned a point value of zero by dropping the tens digit; (c) dealing an initial player's hand of two cards to the player and an initial dealer's hand of two cards to the dealer, the point value of the initial dealer's hand not revealed by facing at least one of the two dealer's cards down; (d) splitting the initial player's hand if desired on an initial pair of cards having equal numerical values into separate hands and playing each hand independently. (e) adding the point values of the initial player's hand or the player's separate hands and dropping the tens digit of the point value if any to provide a count value between zero and nine; (f) hitting a third card by the player if desired and adding the point values of the resulting three card player's hand, dropping the tens digit of the sum of the three card player's hand to provide a count value between zero and nine; (g) exposing the initial dealer's hand after the player has acted completely on his hand thereby revealing the point value of the initial dealer's hand; (h) adding the point values of the initial dealer's hand and dropping the tens digit of the point value to provide a count value between zero and nine; (i) completing the dealer's hand by hitting a third playing card when the point value of the initial dealer's hand is zero to four and standing if the point value is five to nine; (j) adding the point value of the dealer's hand, dropping the tens digit if any, to provide a final count value between zero and nine; and, (k) comparing the final count value of the dealer's hand with the count value of the player's completed hand, a player's completed hand having a count value closer to nine and greater than the dealer's final count value resulting in a win for the player, a player's completed hand having a count value equal to the dealer's final count value resulting into a tie, and a player's completed hand having a count value less than the dealer's final count value resulting in a loss for the player.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the player's completed hand is limited to three cards.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the card game is a wagering card game and a bet is placed by the player on the outcome of the card game, the bet being collected by the dealer when the player losses the game but the player paid even money for a winning hand.
 15. The method of claim 12 wherein the bet is collected by the dealer when the tie is on a count value of zero while the player keeps his/her bet when the tie is on a non-zero count value.
 16. The method of claim 12 including the step of giving a special payout for a player hand having a final count value of nine selected from the group consisting of a hand comprising of three cards with each card having a point value of three, a hand comprising of three cards of the same suit with one card having a point value of two, a second card having a point value of three and a third card having a point value of four, and a winning player hand comprising a combination of two cards having a total count value of nine.
 17. The method of claim 12 wherein the number of separate hands after splitting is limited to three.
 18. The method of claim 12 wherein a bet on a split hand is placed by the player on the outcome of the card game in a wagering card game.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the bet is limited to the same amount as the player's bet placed initially on the unsplit hand.
 20. The method of claim 14 wherein a cut card is used after shuffling to signal when to terminate the dealing of the cards during the play. 